Morse's code: Steve Morse has saved hundreds of lives through blood and platelet donations

Steve Morse looks nothing like a superhero. He's 70 years old with a more-salt-than-pepper beard. He's a baseball cap guy. He wears plain blue jeans and T-shirts. Rather than a barrel chest, he's better known for a fun-loving, ornery chuckle that, when thinking of appropriate superhero names, you might go with The Teasernator.

It's a cool, rainy spring morning, and Morse is already hooked to the machine 10 minutes before he was scheduled to arrive. He drove the 17 or so miles from his home near Benton, Mo., just like he does every other Friday morning.

Unlike most superheroes who show up after a cry for help, Morse is an early bird.

Morse's strength comes not from muscle or speed or cunning. It comes from his blood.

On this particular spring morning, hooked up to a tube and machine at the Red Cross Blood Donation Center, his T-shirt spells out the words that might as well, to Morse, be a big red S. The shirt is white, and in blood-red letters his chest proudly proclaims, "400 (50 gallons) and still giving."

Red Cross collection technician Shari Crites prepares Steve Morse's arm for a platelet donation during an open house at the Red Cross Blood Donation Center in Cape Girardeau on Friday, March 25, 2011. This visit marked the 402nd time that Morse had donated blood and platelets in his life. (Kristin Eberts)

"Think about that," Morse says. "I helped save 400 people's lives.

"I live to do this. I love it."

He loves it, and he doesn't hide it. He wears the 400 badge proudly, telling anyone willing to listen about his milestone.

The Man of Zeal says he gets a certain emotional high from giving blood.

He leaves feeling he can conquer the world. He's been donating blood for 42 years. He has bared his inner arm 402 times. He's got the scars to prove it. Finding his veins isn't always easy; the nurses know that. But he keeps a positive attitude, and takes the pokes with a smile. It's all part of the routine.

A platelet donation from Steve Morse collects during a visit to an open house at the Red Cross Blood Donation Center in Cape Girardeau on Friday, March 25, 2011. The visit marked the 402nd time that Morse had donated blood and platelets in his life. (Kristin Eberts)

To be specific, Morse's routine is more than just giving blood these days. For a number of years he has donated his blood platelets, which requires a different process than donating blood at a typical blood drive. The Cape Girardeau Red Cross office schedules the platelet donations. The office now has four machines to collect platelets, which are vital for people who are going through chemotherapy. It takes more than an hour to donate platelets (which Morse had done 207 times, as of early April). Usually, Morse donates "double" platelets, a process that usually takes from 70 to 90 minutes, he said. That's more than five work weeks of giving blood, not to mention the drive time, gas costs and the time required for the recovery period.

It's not known for certain whether Morse is Southeast Missouri's lifetime leader in blood and platelet donations. A spokeswoman for the Southeast Missouri chapter of the American Red Cross could only review those donors who had not requested to be on the Red Cross' no-call list. But Morse had donated more than twice the number of platelet units than the next closest donors that could be accessed in the database.

"He is very, very uncommon," said Laurie Nehring, the Red Cross spokeswoman.

Morse first donated blood when his ex-wife was about to give birth to their second child. His then-wife required a Rhogam shot, but the hospital had a policy that it would administer the shot free of charge in exchange for three units of donated blood.

"The first time I donated, my palms were wet and my armpits were dripping like a waterfall," he said, chuckling. Morse said he further developed the blood-donating habit when he worked for Pac Bell, and they allowed him time off to donate blood.

Morse, who retired 16 years ago, is extremely conscious about his health. He doesn't eat red meat or fried food. He eats fat-free foods. He takes fish oil supplements and has been taking apple cider vinegar after hearing about its potential positive health benefits. He hasn't had any health problems -- not so much as a cold or the flu -- in a number of years. He knows there is no medical proof to back his assumption, but he thinks the frequent blood donations have something to do with his overall good health, comparing it to changing the oil in a car. His plan is to be donating blood well into his 90s.

Morse is a stickler for appointments and punctuality. During his entire working career, he was late for work only once, when he was involved in a car accident. He had perfect work attendance, he says, in the last 21 years of his career. When asked how many times he has missed appointments to donate blood, he paused and answered, "Not many."

But Morse doesn't donate blood at all costs. He won't drive through ice or leave the house when there's a tornado warning. The weather, it appears, is Morse's kryptonite.

But come hail, or ice, tornadoes or floods, Morse will wait them out, and live to donate another day. Poke after poke, drip by drip; 50 gallons of blood, hundreds of hours, thousands of miles and counting, The Teasernator will wait for those clouds to lift. He'll arrive early, he'll roll up his sleeve and give more of himself. You can count on it.

It's Morse's Code.

About giving platelets

* Apheresis is a special type of blood donation that allows for the collection of a specific blood part, or component, such as platelets. Platelets aid in the clotting process to prevent or stop bleeding and are vital in helping patients with leukemia or other cancers.

* Due to recent advances in medical treatment, the demand for platelets is growing dramatically. Platelets collected from whole blood donations can no longer meet current demands. A platelet apheresis donation provides up to 18 times more platelets than a regular whole blood donation, and is the preferred product for many cancer patients who receive multiple platelet transfusions during chemotherapy courses. Healthy people have an abundance of platelets and are eligible to donate platelets every two weeks, up to 24 times each year

* Platelet donors are a special and dedicated group of heroes. Many regular platelet donors give not only their platelets, but two hours of their time every two weeks to help those in need. Since platelets last only five days, there is always a need for more donors.

* Donor guidelines for giving platelets are identical to guidelines for giving whole blood. Donors must be at least 17 years old, weight at least 110 pounds and be in general good health. In addition, donors cannot have taken aspirin for 36 hours before donating platelets.

Source: American Red Cross